Toe straightening yoke



March 1960 D. BRAXTON TOE STRAIGHTENING YOKE Filed May 2, 1958 INVENTOR.

DAN/1. BRAXTOA/ Arum/EV United States Patent TOE STRAIGI-ITENING YOKE Daniel Braxton, River Rouge, Mich.

Application May 2, 1958, Serial No. 732,685

3 Claims. (Cl. 128-81) My invention pertains to a yoke adapted to be applied over and partly about a toe of a foot. The object of the invention is to provide a device serving as an aid in correcting a deformity in the shape of a toe and to protect tender portions thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device including a relatively rigid portion capable of retaining its shape, and relatively soft elements where said elements come directly in contact with the toe to be straightened or with the adjoining toes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a yoke in which the portion adapted to fitover the top of a toe is split longitudinally to impart flexibility to the portions so split from each other, and in which said portion an aperture is contained to be located above a tender top surface of the toe.

I shall now describe my improvement with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the yoke as it appears when applied to a toe;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the yoke, including laterally-extending wings adapted tovfit under the toes, straddling the toe which is to be straightened out;

Fig. 3 is aslightly-enlarged perspective view of the rigid portion of the yoke;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The principal element of the yoke consists of a rigid member, generally marked 10. The member may be made of metal, such as sheet steel or bronze, or of rubber, or a suitable plastic material, a preferred requirement being that the material, whether it be a plastic or metal, be resilient.

The member includes a main or central portion 11 having the form of an oblong shell which is arcuate in a transverse cross-section. Beginning at a point spaced from its rear end 12, the shell is split longitudinally up to the front end so that the front portion of the shell shows two oblong tongues 12a, each of which is flexible enough to conform to the top surface of the toe over which the yoke is applied. The tongues may be spaced from each other by a slot 13.

In addition, the shell, intermediate its ends, is provided with an aperture 14 intersecting said slot 13. Here I wish to add that the rear end of the shell may be flattened out to better conform with the surface of the foot back of the toe to which the yoke is applied.

Extending laterally from each side of the midportion of the shell is an integrally-formed wing 15. This is a flat member disposed in a plane of the chord to the are formed by the shell 11, as best shown in Fig. 4. Mounted on each wing, which is approximately as wide as the shell itself, is a soft rubber pad 16 which is bonded to the wing by a suitable adhesive substance. A soft liner 17, preferably made of rubber, is also applied to the undersurface of the shell and bonded thereto.

The drawing in Fig. 1 shows the mannerin which the yoke is to be applied to a toe. As illustrated therein, the shell 11 is placed over the toe which is to be straightened, while one wing, carrying a pad 16, will fit under the adjoining toe to one side thereof, and the other wing will fit under the adjoining toe on the other side. If necessary, the shell may be shifted longitudinally with respect to the toe protected thereby in order that the aperture 14 in the shell be located directly 'above a tender spot, such as a corn on the top surface of said toe. When the foot is located in a shoe, the resilient tongues depressed by the shoe over the outer end of the toe would conform to the shape thereof.

I wish to add that While the drawings show a soft liner 17 applied 'to' the underside of the shell 11 at its midportion only, such a lining may be extended to fit also under each of the tongues, and rearwardly for contact with the surface of the foot back of the toe.

After having described my improvement, what I wish to claim is as follows:

l. A toe-straightening yoke comprising a thin and resilient oblong shell which is arcuate in cross section at its midportion and its front portion but flat at its rear portion, the arcuate portion of the shell being split longitudinally at the top from a point spaced from the rear end to the front end of the shell, a flat wing extending laterally from the midportion of the shell on each side thereof, a soft pad secured to the upper surface of each wing, and a soft pad secured to the underside of the shell.

2. A toe-straightening yoke comprising an oblong shell which is arcuate in cross-section at its midportion and at its front portion, but flattened at its rear portion, the midportion being adapted to fit over a toe, while the flat portion is adapted to fit over the foot back of the toe, the shell being split longitudinally by a slot ex tending through the midportion and the front portion into two adjoining tongues, a fiat wing extending laterally from the midportion of the shell on each side thereof, the wings being in the plane of the chord of the arcuate portion of the shell, each wing having a soft pad on top and being adapted to fit under the toe adjoining the toe which is covered by the shell, and a soft pad on the inner surface of the midportion of the shell.

3. A toe-straightening yoke as defined in claim 2 but having a circular aperture intersecting the slot in the midportion of the shell.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

